gEDA-dev: [PATCH] GAF: Solve the "transistor problem"

[John Doty]

On Aug 7, 2007, at 12:22 PM, DJ Delorie wrote:

>
>> Eh? I think it's the opposite. A light symbol library is easy,
>
> A *usable* light symbol library is hard from the tool's point of view,
> because it has no way to specialize each symbol to its actual package.
> You end up with one "light" symbol per pinout, which isn't really a
> light symbol at all.

I think only a couple of simple things are missing from the tool:

1. Automatic copy of symbols from the common library to the project  
library.

2. A way to replace an instance's symbol without disturbing its  
attached attributes.

Easy enough to do this behind the tool's back, though.

>
>> and individual heavy symbols aren't hard.
>
> Until the first time you use the wrong one by accident in a project,
> and the board doesn't work.  Or until the first time you change
> packages and have to swap out a symbol with a different
> pinout/shape/footprint/whatever.

See (2) above.

>
>> What's hard is creating the billions of symbols that a
>> *comprehensive* heavy symbol library would need.
>
> Agreed.  My idea is to have the "heavy" part in a database, and merge
> the light symbol with the heavy attributes to produce the info you
> need.  Pinout mappings and slotting can come from the database.

Yes.

John Doty              Noqsi Aerospace, Ltd.
http://www.noqsi.com/
jpd at noqsi.com